Ahead of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s October 16 visit to Surat, the Surat Municipal Corporation has removed the “unauthorised” arches and other structures erected by the party. However, the party has alleged that its posters and banners have been torn by “some parties”. The party has resorted to “Gandhigiri” and started replacing them with new posters and banners.

Surat police granted permission to AAP for Kejriwal’s October 16 meeting after the party moved the Gujarat High Court citing the police was dilly-dallying on its application for permission. Kerjriwal will land in Gujarat on October 15 to meet party workers and family members of those Patidar youths killed in the quota stir in Ahmedabad. The following day Kejriwal will address a public meeting at Punagam in Surat.

To create awareness on this meeting and gather masses for it, the local unit of AAP had put up banners, posters, and erected arches carrying pictures of Arvind Kejriwal at different locations in Varachha, Katargam, Kapdoara and Punagam areas in the city.

The SMC had removed 10 arches of the party claiming that they were put up without obtaining the former’s permission. AAP alleged that “some notorious elements from the BJP or Congress” had torn off its banners and posters. Surat Municipal Corporation Varachha Zone chief A G Khatiwala said, “We have removed the gate structures of AAP at different places in Varachha area as they had not taken permission from SMC to install such structures.”

Surat AAP media coordinator Yogesh Jadwani said, “A team of 200 volunteers from all over the state have landed in Surat and they have started campaigning in the city. Many of our party banners and posters have been torn off, and the mischief was done by Congress and BJP workers. We have formed a team which will replace the torn posters and banners with fresh one. Even if they tear it again, we will again replace it with fresh one. SMC officials had removed our gate structures from different places. Earlier similar structures were erected by Congress and BJP at different places, why SMC had not taken action against them. This is nothing but great injustice to us.”

He added, “We’ve got an input that some notorious elements might ‘create trouble’ in the public meeting of our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal by raising questions on national issues. We will neither allow police to take action nor get them detained. Our leaders will give answers to them, till they are satisfied. We will resort to Gand-higiri. We are ready to give answers on the questions raised by the public and even they should know what the truth is.”